‘Power of corruption like a shadow’: Orissa HC rejects IAS officer’s pre-arrest bail plea
The high court agreed with CBI that the IAS officer’s interrogation when it was “ensconced” by an order of anticipatory bail would be a fruitless exercise
The Orissa High Court on Monday rejected an anticipatory bail petition by senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Bishnupada Sethi, who is being investigated in connection with a bribery case by the Central Bureau of Investigation, observing that the power of corruption is like a shadow that follows those who wield power.
The 1995 batch IAS officer, Bishnupada Sethi, was designated as OSD in December last year after relieving him of his responsibilities
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Sethi was stripped of his responsibility as principal secretary of Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department Bishnupada Sethi and appointed as an officer on special duty (OSD) in December 2024 after CBI arrested Chanchal Mukherjee, group general manager of Kolkata-based Bridge and Roof Company, a central public sector enterprise, on charges of taking a ₹10 lakh bribe from a real estate company promising them work orders.
Rejecting Sethi’s plea for pre-arrest shield, justice V Narasingha said the bench agreed with CBI that the IAS officer’s interrogation when it was “ensconced” by an order of anticipatory bail would be a fruitless exercise in the light of the materials unearthed.
“Sethi enjoys the power of being a senior official of the Indian Administrative Service. On a conspectus of materials on record, whether corruption is his shadow merits probe unhindered and unimpeded by the exceptional remedy of pre-arrest bail,” the court said.
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The case dates back to December 2024 when the CBI seized ₹10 lakh in cash from a luxury vehicle in Bhubaneswar. The agency arrested Mukherjee who was in the car at the time and was accused of accepting the bribe from the director of a Bhubaneswar-based private firm.
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The case dates back to December 2024 when the CBI seized ₹10 lakh in cash from a luxury vehicle in Bhubaneswar. The agency arrested Mukherjee who was in the car at the time and was accused of accepting the bribe from the director of a Bhubaneswar-based private firm.
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Subsequently, two other individuals — Debadutta Mohapatra and Santosh Moharana — were arrested for their suspected roles in facilitating the bribe. The probe soon expanded, and Bishnupada Sethi’s name also surfaced, prompting the CBI to conduct a raid at his official residence in Bhubaneswar in February 2025.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
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